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Sugar Plantations

Definition

Large-scale farms in the New World, particularly in the Caribbean and Brazil, where sugar cane was grown and processed into sugar. These plantations relied heavily on enslaved African labor.

Analogy

Think of a sugar plantation like a massive factory line for sweets. The raw material (sugar cane) is brought in, processed through various stages (cutting, crushing to extract juice, boiling), and finally turned into the end product (sugar). But instead of machines doing all the work, it's people - specifically enslaved Africans.

Related terms

Plantation System: A system of agriculture where large farms were developed by wealthy individuals with an emphasis on cash crops like tobacco and cotton.

Slavery: A system where individuals are treated as property to be bought, sold, and forced to work without consent or pay.

Colonialism: The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.